The beer ship is back

Above: The three-masted 200ft sail training ship Alexander von Humboldt II, sometimes nicknamed 'the beer ship', heading for Vueltas, the harbour of Valle Gran Rey, at about 8:30 am this morning. Read more about the vessel...

The beer ship is in

The 'beer ship' rounding the point in La Playa, Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera showing some of her green sails

The three-masted 200ft sail training ship Alexander von Humboldt II, sometimes nicknamed 'the beer ship', came into Vueltas, the harbour of Valle Gran Rey, yesterday. She is sponsored by the brewers of Beck's beer and has featured in advertising for the brand, hence the nickname. She has green sails and a green hull to match the colour of Beck's beer bottles, too, and is a regular visitor here, bringing about 80 passengers and crew.

Alex 2, as she's also known, in Vueltas harbour

Tall ship in Valle Gran Rey

A regular visitor to La Gomera was in the harbour of Valle Gran Rey again a couple of days ago. The tall ship Alexander von Humboldt II is a German sailing ship built as a replacement for the original 1906 sail training ship Alexander von Humboldt. She was launched in 2011 and just like her predecessor, the Alexander von Humboldt II is operated by Deutsche Stiftung Sail Training out of Bremerhaven and offers sail training for persons between 14 and 75 years of age. She can accommodate 79 crew and trainees, is about 200 ft in length and has a 750 hp engine in case there is no wind. If you're aboard and in luck your food might be cooked by part-time Gomera resident Otto, who used to run a well-known establishment in Ireland. When she is in port visitors can come aboard at certain times to view the bark - visiting times are displayed at the gangway.
CORRECTION (Dec. 26th): 
Otto was never cooking on the A.v.Humboldt. He does however sometimes cook the delicious food on the Norwegian tall ship Roald Amundsen. My apologies to Otto.